Task Programme

You don't need any experience to come on any of our tasks, and we provide all the tools, training and safety equipment that you need. If you would like more information about whether a task is suitable for you then please contact us.

Please book with our Transport Secretary before the task. To find out how to book, what to bring and where to meet, look at the page about Sunday tasks.

There is also practical information about residential tasks.

Summary Task Programme

Here is a printer-friendly task programme (250kb)

Detailed Task Programme

Here is a map of all our work-sites.

March 19 - 21 Taynish Residential: woodland management

The ancient deciduous woodland at Taynish is one of the largest in Britain. Oak trees have flourished here for 6,000 years or more - a little longer than people have lived here. Once a source of timber and charcoal, these woods now form one of Britain's largest remaining native oakwoods. The importance of the site was recognised in 1977 by designation as a National Nature Reserve and it is now managed by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). Taynish lies on a scenic peninsula overlooking Loch Sween, which was scoured out by glaciers 11,000 years ago, and has an atmosphere all of its own.

The peninsula has a wide range of habitats, including shoreline, grassland, scrub, bog, heath and woodland, each home to a host of plants, insects, birds and mammals that thrive in the clean, humid air. In all, between the woodland's dripping ferns and mosses and the marsh and grassland, over 300 plant species and more than 20 kinds of butterfly are supported. To help the woods keep their near-natural character and rich wildlife, SNH is encouraging the spread of native trees by controlling deer, which browse on young trees. SNH is also removing rhododendron, which crowds out other plants.

On this visit to the site we will be removing invasive beech, gorse and rhododendron. Accommodation is in the luxurious Kilmartin 'bothy' with cosy beds, en-suite showers and a useful 'drying room' for your gear in the possible event of rain. Duvets and pillows are provided, but please bring (single) bed linen with you. Book your place with Debbie by 17 March at the latest.

March 28 Spottiswoode: tree planting

Dr David Long from the Royal Botanic Gardens has purchased land near Lauder that contains a spruce plantation. He has gradually removed the spruce and replaced it with natural broadleaf woodland, to increase biodiversity. LCV has visited Spottiswoode a number of times in the last couple of years, clearing and burning spruce and planting trees. On this task we will be continuing the tree planting work - planting native species on the land cleared of spruce and brash, and protecting the trees with guards and stakes.

April 4           Easter weekend: No task

April 10 SATURDAY       Addiewell Bing: tree planting

Addiewell Bing is a long, narrow reserve of 21hectares just south of Bathgate in West Lothian, which is leased and managed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT). It is an excellent example of how a derelict industrial site - part of the oil shale industry - can be converted into an important wildlife refuge.

Most of the reserve is covered by woodland and scrub, but there are also patches of bracken, heather, open grassland and marshy ground with a rich variety of plants and birds. Originally, the area was planted with lodgepole pine to help stabilise the steep sides of this old spoil heap. More recently, these trees have been replaced with native species including oak and ash.

In the past we have felled lodgepole pine, upgraded the footpath and cleared invading broom from areas of heather. On this visit we will be planting Scots pine.

April 11          Addiewell: tree planting

This task will be a continuation of the work begun on April 10.

April 18          Beecraigs Country Park: path work

Beecraigs Country Park, near Linlithgow, is owned and managed by West Lothian Council. It spans 370 hectares over the Bathgate Hills and comprises a commercially active conifer plantation, a deer attraction, a loch, a caravan and camping site and a large play area. Beecraigs is navigable by several way-marked trails and offers both the shelter of deep woodland and access to fantastic views over the Forth Valley.  LCV has done a variety of tasks here, including tree planting and coppicing, drystane dyking, footpath work, boardwalk construction, bridge building and step building. On this occasion we will be carrying out pathwork to improve access.

April 25          Leadburn: tree planting

Leadburn Community Woodland was recently purchased from the Forestry Commission by a small group of individuals known as the Friends of Leadburn Community Woodland. The group intend to replace the previous plantation of conifers with native trees such as silver birch, ash, oak and rowan, among others, and planting at the site has recently begun. On this visit we will be planting trees. The area is boggy in places, so wellies are recommended if you have them. 

May 2 Beecraigs Country Park: path work

This task will be a continuation of the work begun on April 18.

May 8 SATURDAY    Bawsinch: giant hogweed romoval

Bawsinch and Duddingston Loch are found on the southern edge of Holyrood Park, just below Arthur’s Seat and only three kilometres from the city centre. Formerly a derelict industrial site, Bawsinch is a triangular area next to the south shore of the loch. This 26 hectare reserve, partly owned and managed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust, is a bird sanctuary and has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest.  The area boasts breeding and wintering wildfowl, marshland with reedbeds and willow, patches of scrub and woodland, some freshwater ponds and an area of grassland named Goose Green. In the past LCV has felled trees, cleared ponds, built log bridges and cleared invasive vegetation. On this task we will be removing giant hogweed.

Giant hogweed has a toxic sap that can cause serious skin and eye damage. This would normally preclude us from working with this dangerous invasive plant but as the sap doesn’t form until later in the year it is possible to safely remove giant hogweed from Bawsinch at this point in the calendar.

May 9             Roslin Glen: pathwork and woodland maintenance

Roslin Glen is a 19 hectare reserve to the east of Roslin village and on the south bank of the River North Esk in Midlothian. The site is owned and managed by Midlothian Council. It is a relatively undisturbed mixed deciduous woodland largely made up of native sessile oak, wych-elm and ash, with a shrub layer of hazel and holly. There are also some introduced sycamore, beech and Norway spruce trees which are gradually being removed.

The area boasts a rich woodland flora which includes dog’s mercury, ramsons, wood-rush and various ferns. Dippers and kingfishers can be seen in the fairly clean waters of the Esk. The area has been put under a Millennium Forest for Scotland grant scheme to return the woodland to a native mixture of trees such as ash, alder, oak, pine and birch. On this task we will maintaining the woodland habitat and improving access by working on steps and paths in the glen.

May 15 SATURDAY   Beecraigs Country Park: path work

This task will be a continuation of the work begun on April 18.

May 16      Beecraigs Country Park: path work

This task will be a continuation of the work begun on April 18.

May 23      Gullane: Pirri pirri burr removal

Gullane Links are part of the beautiful and dramatic coastal scenery in East Lothian, which includes sand dunes, mudflats, sandy beaches, rocky headlands, steep cliffs and a scattering of small islands. Gullane Bay is about two miles north-east of Aberlady and is one of the finest and most popular sandy beaches within easy reach of Edinburgh.

Pirri pirri burr is a low growing, evergreen perennial native to New Zealand. The plant has become invasive along parts of the East Lothian coastline, where it outcompetes native grasses on the dune system. On this task we will be helping the East Lothian Rangers remove pirri pirri burr.

May 29 SATURDAY   Bawsinch: Himalayan balsam removal

See May 8 for a description of this site. On this task, we will be controlling the invasive weed Himalayan balsam.

May 30      Bawsinch: tree weeding

See May 8 for a description of this site. On this task, we will be weeding around young trees.

June 6      Easter Craiglockhart Hill:  meadow raking

Easter Craiglockhart Hill is above Craiglockhart Sports Centre and is one of Edinburgh’s seven hills offering excellent views across the city towards the castle and Arthur’s Seat. The area is owned jointly by the City of Edinburgh Council and Napier University. We will be working with the Friends of Craiglockhart Woods and Nature Trail - a local group supported by the Scottish Wildlife Trust - who have produced a management plan and a trail leaflet, and continue to manage the site for wildlife. In the past on this site LCV has put in log steps, improved the footpath, cleared Japanese knotweed and built a nesting platform for mute swans. On this visit we will be raking up strimmed grass to continue the development of a wildflower meadow.

June 13     Beecraigs Country Park: path work

This task will be a continuation of the work begun on April 18.

June 20     Pishwanton: TBC

 This 60 acre site is located two miles south of Gifford, near Haddington in East Lothian. The Life Science Trust was established in 1992 to research, teach and promote education methods that enable people to rediscover connections with the natural world and develop a partnership with their environment. It purchased the woods in 1996 and the site sits at 700 ft on the edge of the Lammermuir Hills. Occupation of the area dates back to prehistoric times and there is a large Iron Age burial mound. Research and teaching is carried out on a wide variety of topics - medicinal plant study, herb growing, land and craft skills and ecological building methods to name a few. On previous tasks, LCV has planted trees and cut gorse for weaving into a fence. This site can be wet so wellies are strongly recommended if you have them!

June 27     Vogrie Country Park: path work

 Vogrie is a popular country park four kilometres south-east of Dalkeith run by Midlothian Council. About half the area is covered by woodland and scrub, with smaller patches of grassland, three ponds, an alder coppice and a conifer plantation. Over the years we have carried out a variety of tasks, including clearing the ponds and sections of the River Tyne, cutting some of the grass on the meadow, repairing part of a drystane dyke, clearing scrub, coppicing alder and planting trees. On this task, we will be helping to improve access by carrying out pathwork in the park.

(c) Lothians Conservation Volunteers 2010

Lothians Conservation Volunteers is a charity registered in Scotland, No: SC020384

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